


let me tale you a story

by spero11



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Character Study, F/M, Falling In Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 16:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30024465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spero11/pseuds/spero11
Summary: sans is made for a purpose, but he wonders if falling in love was part of the plan.
Relationships: Frisk/Sans (Undertale), W. D. Gaster/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	let me tale you a story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is part of a three-year-old draft of a very long one-shot that i originally wrote because i was absolutely obsessed over undertale, and was strongly inspired by many fanfics, but especially this one fanfic author (their writing was amazing). i was recently inspired by undertale fanart to post a partial piece of the draft; i might make this into a multi-chapter story to finally bring all the writing and planning i had to completion, but forewarning: the ship was frans, so if you don’t ship, and i continue this fic, then proceed with caution(?) idk how to tell ppl how to approach a fic with a ship they don’t ship aha, but anyway, enjoy this, for now!

He was adorable as a babybones, with wide, curious sockets and an innocent, toothy grin. His skull was large while his skeletal body gave him a chubby appearance. But as cute as he was, he didn’t do much, most of the time.

_“Say ‘ah.’”_

_A blank stare._

_“‘Ah!’”_

_A grin, big and blithe._

_“Dear, I think he might not want it.”_

_“He seems to not want anything. But he needs to eat!”_

His mother never thought twice about her lump of babybones. She thought he was simply enjoying life.

His father was somewhat concerned over his son’s lackadaisical habits. What good would it be if his little experiment wasn’t getting all his nutrients?

_“Stop it, Gaster.”_

_A whine. A cry._

_“Gaster!”_

_She was ignored, again._

**_“G a s t e r.”_ **

_“Love, don't fret. Not only will this help all of monsterkind, this will also help him in the future. I promise.”_

Under normal circumstances, inserting more DETERMINATION into a monster would kill them. Their magical bodies were simply not suited to contain more than a certain amount. In the case of Flowey, he was a soulless creature. Even as the resurrection of Asriel, he was only a container of resentment and memories. Although, Sans was a special case. He had the power of a genius and experienced scientist on his side, one that knew how to spare his SOUL from breaking.

Small doses of DETERMINATION everyday would be enough.

_“How will this help him, or anyone, for that matter? You’re only hurting him!”_

_“I wouldn’t harm a babybones for no good reason.”_

_“Then why?”_

_“The timeline, Lucida. Our universe. It needs help.”_

The real evidence came when Sans nicked himself one day. He was skimming over the pages of his father’s large textbook when his phalanges slid along the edge of the paper. Red liquid seeped out of the tiny cut, a great contrast to the pure white. Lucida had never seen her son so frightened before.

_“monsters don’t bleed. humans bleed.”_

_“How do you know that?”_

_“...i read it in your books.”_

_“Ah. Well, It’s the result of my experimenting. You’re turning out to be wonderful, Sans.”_

Unbeknownst to either parent, Sans wasn’t having the greatest time in school, either. He couldn’t help but acknowledge the vast difference between himself and the other kids. The naiveté, the innocence… it was all so foreign. Did they not feel the hopelessness of the adults? The rage toward the complete containment the humans had put on them? The exhaustion and exasperation of losing more to mankind? They barely reacted to the royal family losing their children. They didn’t know _anything_ like he did.

But they could do more than he could, even with all his experimentation.

For some reason, his magic wasn’t obeying him. He couldn’t draw it out or even unleash it. It was stagnant in his being. The other monster children would ask him questions and that was annoying. The teachers tried to comfort him, but they didn’t know any more than the kids under them.

_“my magic is broken.”_

_“It’s not.”_

_“it is.”_

_“It’s not broken, Sans.”_

_“yes, it is. you b r o k e it!”_

_Gaster flared. His son cowered._

_“I will say again: it’s not. It’s simply adjusting.”_

It seemed as the days passed, Sans would only be interested in his father’s work. He’d go through Gaster’s shelf and listen to him make countless theories. Although the scientist was pleased at his son’s apparent appreciation, he wouldn’t permit him to come with him to the lab. His experiments on him were held in a private room down in the basement of his house, anyway. He didn’t want to constantly shift his attention between his work and his child in the laboratory. It would be too risky. So everyday, Sans would watch his black-coated father walk out the door.

_“Bye, love. Have a good day at work.”_

_“I’ll see you later tonight, Lucida. And you, too, Sans.”_

_“bye, gaster.”_

At seven years of monster age (more or less seven hundred human years; monsters age much slower, and he looked like a kid, still), he was far more advanced in critical thinking and solving equations. Despite his low grades and lack of participation, he could hold a witty conversation and knew more than he let on. However, there were still no signs of magical control or signature moves.

At seven, he was introduced to a different type of magic. The magic… of birth.

_“OOOH, HERE HE COMES!”_

_“You’ve almost got it, Lucida!”_

_“Push, I can see his SOUL!”_

_“MY SOUL IS RIPPING IN TWO!”_

_“Y-Yes it is, dear! But it’s almost done!”_

...Birth was painful.

But there _was_ magic. Sans had affirmed this fact because his baby brother was absolutely lovable. Lovable, lively, and—

_A wail._

_“Oh! Oh! There you go!”_

_A continuous wail._

_“He’s not stopping, dear.”_

_“I spent the past few hours pushing him out of my SOUL. Let him scream before I do.”_

_“Understandable.”_

_Gaster examined his newest son with a small smile._

_“And he’s screaming in Papyrus. So cute.”_

_“Papyrus… what a charming name.”_

—loud. Very loud. Sans loved Papyrus, but the older brother was quite tempted to grab a glue gun and seal his teeth together. Every time Papy was upset, or hungry, or needed a change, he would scream and cry. It was a wonder how he came to love such a deafening creature.

Yet, as Sans stared down at the babybones in his arms, he already knew.

“Sans?” Lucida cracked one eye open to see her firstborn carrying her second. She couldn’t help but grin. “Look at you. You’re gonna be an amazing older brother.”

“he doesn’t cry when i hold him, so i’m holding him.”

“He must love you as much as you love him.” Lucida beckoned him to come closer. Sans complied and shuffled closer to his mother, Papyrus still in his grasp. She held her bony hand out and stroked her elder son’s cheekbone. “Your father loves you, and I love you.”

Sans blinked. “i know.”

“Good.” Her eye sockets were beginning to shut. Sans asked, with all his childlike wonder and great concern, “are you gonna be okay?”

“I’m gonna be just fine.” Her hand fell to her side. “Just need a nap. Giving birth is no easy task.”

“‘kay.” Sans observed her as she gradually fell asleep. Sitting in the chair beside her, he lightly bounced his brother, who was also in repose. “bunch’a sleepyheads.”

Not a few moments later did Gaster walk in, graceful and lithe as always. He peered down at his sons with his ever-so kind smile, before tapping his bony lips against his wife’s skull. The older skeleton noticed his son was becoming tired, so he levitated his newborn back into the little bed. As his father continued to examine Papyrus, Sans’ worry increased. He piped up, “will you experiment on him, too?”

“Hm… No, I don’t need to.” Gaster stroked his older son’s skull. “You’re doing exceedingly well.”

“‘kay.” Sans nodded, pleased. There was a sense of pride swelling within him, so he grinned.

When the nurse walked in to check on Papy’s health, Gaster would often inquire her by using his hands. Only skeletons could understand every speech pattern of other skeletons. And of course, Gaster had his own unique way of speaking. To the rest of the monsters, it’d be like listening to gibberish.

“Alright, so you guys have been here long enough, yes? Not good to be so cooped up in a hospital room.” The nurse said joyfully as she flicked her tail to and fro, “Once your wifey here wakes up, you guys can skidaddle home and enjoy life with a plus one!”

“yay.” Sans raised his fist to add to his cheeriness. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eye sockets, ready to sleep. But he shifted uncomfortably as his spine ached from the position. A presence appeared in the chair next to him, causing him to look up. Gaster gently guided him to lay down on his lap, where Sans begrudgingly noted that it was a lot more comfortable. Soon enough, he joined his brother and mother in the world of slumber.

“Sans.”

“mm.”

“Sans.”

“mm?”

“We’re going home now, Sans. Come on.”

“mm’kay.”

Sans yawned as he stood up from the chair. His mother was standing beside his father, who was carrying his brother in his arms. The skeleton family made their way out of the hospital, while the nurses bid them farewell.

The passing days seemed to be a little brighter with Papyrus around. There was more life in the normally quiet house. Lucida took a great amount of joy in seeing her oldest son and her husband interacting with Papyrus. She saw the way Gaster would watch over him and play with him like when Sans was first born. She smiled whenever Sans would try to teach the baby something, whether it be how to walk, talk, or eat properly. And whenever Papyrus would throw a fit, he’d go straight to her for comfort. The looks on the boys’ face was both a pleasure and a pity.

A century passed before things seemed to take a new turn.

“Lucida, I’ve got some great news!” as soon as Gaster had stepped inside his home, he rushed to find his wife. She was sitting in the living room and tending to the clean laundry. The sound of the gramophone danced gracefully in the serenity.

“Oh? What is it, dear?”

“My research is coming along splendidly. I think we’re about to break through to the Void.” He draped his black coat on top of the couch.

_Oh_. Lucida managed a smile as she tried to push down her worries. Her husband’s experiments were never the safest.

“That sounds wonderful.” She said as she continued to fold the clothes. “But, do be careful, will you? No one has ever seen the Void, let alone know that it exists.”

“I’ll be sure to keep our safety a top priority, love.”

“mom?”

“Sans?” Lucida answered. The two parents looked over at the doorway. Sans was holding onto Papyrus’ hand, both of them very sleepy. She felt her SOUL melt at the sight. They looked absolutely precious, with their cute pajamas and tiny selves. If only she had her camera on her!

“he kicked my face on accident, and then we both woke up.” Sans told them. “i think he heard dad come home.”

“DA!”

“You’re both awfully adorable.” Gaster strode over and gathered them up in his arms. Sans squirmed while Papyrus giggled. Lucida cursed under her breath; now she really wished she had her camera.

“Sans, how would you like to come to the lab tomorrow?”

Both said skeleton and Lucida froze. He stopped wiggling. “are you going to test on me more?”

“No, I’d like to see if all the work has paid off.” Gaster bounced them in his arms, but Papyrus was already dozing off. “It’s going to be exciting, I promise.”

Sans contained a grimace as he was hit with curiosity, then found himself nodding. By the sound of his father’s voice, it did sound interesting. Plus, he had never went there before, and he had always wanted to see where his father worked. Lucida wrung her hands together, “Kids, go back to sleep. You’ve got a... fun day ahead of you, Sans.”

“okay.” Sans landed on his feet and took Papyrus. He tugged him by his hand. “let’s go, paps.”

The baby skeleton didn’t respond, for he seemed to be sleeping on his feet. The two children walked away, the tiny patter fading until silence fell upon the room. Sans swiftly laid his brother to his bed, before sneaking back downstairs. He hid beside the doorway and listened closely.

Lucida looked up at her radiant husband. “Gaster, what exactly are you going to do to him?”

“Nothing that might be too much for him.” He reassured, “I just want to see how the DETERMINATION in his being will help him interact with the Void.”

“How will you know he will connect at all?”

“Simple: Sans is an anomaly. As I’ve already told you, the Void is the area outside of our universe. Things that do not belong in our universe, or really, do not fall under the laws of our universe as they should, would be able to pass through the Void easily.” Gaster explained casually, “Sans is a monster who has great amounts of DETERMINATION in him, yet still alive and with a healthy SOUL. Monsters like him aren’t supposed to exist.”

Lucida felt a pang in her heart for hearing him say something like that, but she tried to brush it off. Her husband was a scientist through and through, placing the world’s mysteries above anything else. Yet, she quivered, “Dear, do be mindful about how you perceive our _children._ It’s already enough you experimented on one of them.”

“This is more than just familial ties, Lucida. This is groundbreaking! We would be able to see the flux in our timeline. The anomaly!”

“There should be nothing more than familial ties! That’s what should be the most important!” she stood up and stacked the clothes in the basket angrily. “I’ve been so patient with you after all these centuries. I’ve been so supportive, and I’ve _tried_ to understand. But… what you’ve done to Sans… what you’ve disregarded… I’m still wondering if—if you ever looked at us as your _family_ and _loved_ us.”

“Lucida, come now, love, this is—”

“Unnecessary?” she hoisted the basket into the air and marched toward the stairs. “It’s not, Gaster. It’s really not. I wish you would see that someday.”

His wife disappeared from the living room, leaving him alone with his thoughts. In her frustration, she missed the young skeleton hiding in the darkness. He watched her go upstairs, then peeked around the doorway.

Gaster sighed and pinched the space between his bonebrows. He didn’t understand how she could be so satisfied with the plain things in life when there was so much to be discovered. He’s explained this to her many times; the world was going to be in peril. This way, he could save everyone and protect his family, all the while feeding his own insatiable curiosity. Wasn’t that a win for everyone?

He glanced over at the shelf and found himself eyeing the photos.

...None of them had him in it.

He never had time for pictures, anyway. They always took too long, and needed to be scheduled…

Gaster stalked over to one of the pictures and picked it up gently. The happiness of his wife and kids were forever captured by the light. He slid the picture out of the frame and grabbed a pen from the side. As best as he could, he scribbled onto the back of the image without using his symbols. He hoped it was legible enough for someone to read, since he’s never written outside of his font before. But this was for him, this is something he’d remember.

Gaster laid the frame down flat and stored the picture inside his coat. Sans hurried back into his room.

The following day was, ironically, as normal as any other.

Well, so it seemed.

Sans held his father’s hand as they trekked through the CORE. The neon lights drowned out the dark walls. He’d often find himself tracing the intricate patterns on the floors. Sometimes, they would pass by another monster in a lab coat, or a dog in heavy armor. He was slightly tired from all the walking, and a little dizzy from the turning and shifting of the rooms. When he peered off a bridge, the darkness seemed to be its own sort of eternity. Childishly, he thought that that is what the Void may look like.

And in the back of his mind, he knew that he was wrong.

_Kid, could you please grab me the blueprint?_

“Yes, Doctor!”

Monster Kid ran back into the room with a blue paper in his mouth. Gaster smiled, his hands weaving, _Thank you. With this, we will be moments away from unveiling the truth._

“Oooh, I wonder what it could be…” the armless monster hopped in excitement. He was actually _quite_ older than Sans, but as Monster Law states, he was still required to be labeled as a child. Sans felt a slight chill run through his being, but he paid it no mind. Gaster typed away at the control panel as symbols began to appear on the screen. He seemed unusually peppy while the computer gave him back information. Sans’ eyelights darted side to side in his eye sockets, keeping up with the speed of the outputs. Monster Kid looked over at the younger skeleton, “Wow, can you understand what it’s all saying?”

“...yes.” Sans answered after a moment of realization. It was hard to listen while he soaked in all the information. “why? can’t you?”

“Partly. I only focus on the stuff he gives me to look at. I don’t try to follow all this.” Monster Kid signaled with his head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised, I guess. You are the Doctor’s son, after all!”

“thanks?”

“No problem!”

Suddenly, Gaster opened up another application. There was only a straight line, with a small box at the end. In the utter silence, Gaster began to speak. The line would spike and drop at his voice, and symbols began to appear in the small box. It didn’t take Sans long to discover that it was a journal entry.

_ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN_

_DARK_

_DARKER_

_YET DARKER_

_THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING_

_THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER_

_PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE_

_THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT_

_SEEMS_

_VERY_

_VERY_

_INTERESTING_

Gaster turned to his son and his coworker, wide smile and all.

_WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?_

Sans was frozen where he stood, fear gnawing every bone in his body. Monster Kid only tilted his head in confusion. Recognition passed through Gaster’s face as he turned off the voice recorder and chuckled. He signed, _Apologies, I had forgotten you cannot understand me._

“No problem! What’d you say?”

When the scientist repeated his question, the two delved into conversation. Sans was left to study the readings on the computer, anxiety still clawing up his chest. He swallowed air and tried to loosen up his nonexistent throat.

This is what his father had been muttering about during dinner. There were disturbances that would spike the continuous stream of time, before it suddenly broke off. Then, instead of continuing, it would restart and spike again. He noticed different data outputs that would relate the timeline with DETERMINATION, the timeline with magic power, and the timeline with the number of deaths. And every time it restarted, it would jump to higher numbers in all three categories. Sans felt himself grow a little nervous. Was this what his father prepared him for?

The door to the lab opened, revealing another scientist. His neck was bent in a peculiar way. He was followed by two other monsters. “Heya, Doctor. Heard you’re coming close to a breakthrough?” 

Gaster nodded, _That’s right. Look here._

As the scientists gathered around the computer, they quietly discussed their thoughts. Sans was still trained onto the rapid text shooting across the screen. If he had any skin, he would have nearly jumped out of it at the sound of his name being called. 

“Sans, are you ready?”

His father looked at him expectantly. Sans felt himself nod after a beat. He heard one of the monsters say, “Huh, I’ve never seen someone understand the Doc before.”

“Well, that is his son.”

“No kidding.”

Gaster pressed a few more buttons, before the door on the other side of the room turned a different color. It was monotonous, dull, a certain gray that evoked solemn emotions. “There’s not supposed to be anything behind that door. If I’ve succeeded, then I’ve connected this world to the Void by altering the door’s properties correctly.”

Sans nodded again. Gaster walked toward it, and his son followed behind. The scientists in the back waited with anticipation.

Gaster smiled, elated to finally be able to test his creation, to access the Void—

* * *

Darkness.

Was it even… darkness? Or was it just… nothingness?

Sans snapped his eye sockets open, feeling his skull ring. He was _sure_ that he had heard someone scream. No… it was… it was more people. Many people had screamed. Why?

He was floating, he realized, in an infinite abyss.

Sans let out small whimpers of his own, afraid and bewildered. He whirled around for any sign of life, any buildings, _anything at all_.

He saw the scientists, gray and unmoving, slowly rotating farther and farther away. Then he saw his father, and promptly let out a curt scream. He waved his arms and legs around, moving toward the floating mass that was quite far from him. It seemed like forever passed until he finally reached his father.

His body was no more, simply a black pile of gloop with skeletal hands hovering at the sides. His face seemed to be frozen, eyes wide and smile closed. Lines streaked down his left socket and above his right, almost as if his face would break apart at any moment. Sans felt himself hyperventilate at the sight, unsure of what to do. He stared as long as one could stare until something glided out of his father and beside his face. 

A picture.

It was a picture of him with his mom and Papyrus. He flipped it around and saw the words.

_don’t forget._

Blue beads of magic slipped from his eye sockets and floated between the father and son.

He looked back up at his father, who seemed to be staring up at nothing. Was he still alive? Was he lost in the fabric of time and space?

_exciting, he promised. he promised it was going to be exciting. he_ **_promised_ ** _._

Sans felt his small being shake, before he gripped onto the picture harder. His eye sockets squeezed closed. He wished everything went back to normal. He wished that he was just in a nightmare, and when he woke up, his mother would be there, caressing his skull and whispering comfort. He wished that he was playing with Paps, or eating with his family, or even just on the cold metal slab being injected with the _burning red liquid—_

—anything but _this._

Something tugged him, slightly. There was faint noise. Wind brushed past his cheekbone. It felt like a world opened up around him.

However, when he opened his eye sockets, there was nothing to escape to. Deafening silence consumed his SOUL, and his vision was filled with darkness and his deformed father.

Sans felt himself drop to his knees, before realizing that he had _dropped to his knees._

Momentarily distracted, he tapped the invisible surface twice, then stood up. He was standing on _nothing._

It still felt like he was floating, but he definitely felt more balanced than he had in the last few moments. He took a few tentative steps back and forth, surprised that he could now walk on the virtual plane. He glanced behind him, and noticed the gray door firmly set far above him. Sans turned back to his father, then at the picture in his hands.

He sat down, cross-legged, and just analyzed the photo, as if there was more to it than a family without its father. Sans wasn’t sure why he decided not to try to go for the door, but something told him that if he left now, he may never be able to return. 

“...forever.”

For the second time that day, Sans was glad he didn’t have skin to jump out of. It would probably be painful.

He tilted his skull upward to see his father in the same state. However, there was a voice, drifting out of him.

“...can’t...stay...forever.”

Sans saw one of his detached hands point at him, before pointing at the gray door far above him. The younger skeleton understood immediately.

“i wasn’t planning on staying forever.” Sans said as he rested his chin on his hand. “just—just thought i’d be here a while before giving you some _space,_ heh.”

He ignored the watery sound that hung on his voice. Gaster returned to his motionless form, leaving Sans to himself. He outlined circles on the image and hummed a tune his mom would sing whenever she cleaned the house. After a while, he wrote formulas and equations in the air with his phalange and tried to figure it out without a reference. When he was uncertain, he would look to his father behind his invisible work and expect some guidance. But he didn’t respond.

Finally, after who knows how long, he stood up and felt his bones ache. Sans pocketed the photo in his shorts and turned around.

“i guess this is it. No a- _void-_ ing the inevitable, huh?” with great willpower, he started upward, as if he was walking upstairs. In time, he eventually arrived in front of the gray door. He ignored the urge to look back one more time while he opened the door and stepped through.

When he closed the door behind him, he immediately felt something off. It seemed like he had developed a sixth sense for—for the _universe._ He could feel it prickling in his bones and extending to some higher plane he wasn’t sure existed. Sans was startled to have arrived in a corridor instead of his father’s lab. When he stole a moment to look behind him, his eye sockets widened at the solid wall. No door.

“Kid? What are you doing in here??” a monster in armor asked him as soon as he spotted him in the hall. “You’re not supposed to be in here. This place isn’t for citizens, especially children.”

“i’m… gaster’s son.” The name sounded foreign in his mouth. The monster perceived it so, as well, “Who?”

“gaster. doctor gaster.” Sans waved his hand around to showcase the hallway. “he made this place.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to leave.”

They stared at each other for a moment, before Sans bolted for the exit. The guard's calls became faint, and his clanking armor began to bounce along the walls. Desperate, Sans turned the corner and jumped into the first room he found. Soon, he was trapped in a labyrinth of twisting rooms and altering patterns. He hadn’t seen a single other scientist as he sprinted through the puzzles and around lasers. A growing fear took root in his SOUL, and his skull began to sweat profusely. What happened to everyone? Where did they all go? Why did the guard not know who his father was, the one who gave electricity to the Underground?

Briefly, he wondered if his mom remembered Gaster. He wondered if his mom was still waiting for her husband to come home with her eldest son. He wondered if Papyrus even existed.

And, suddenly, he found himself in front of his house.

Which didn’t make any sense. He was… running and then one more step and a flash of black and now he was here. He wanted to think about it but he couldn’t think about _anything._

Sans threw the door open and was met with his mother’s tired face, carrying her babybones. She blinked, “Sans, what’s the matter?”

“gaster—dad—” Sans choked suddenly, as if the world was dropped onto him. His emotions clogged his voice. “my dad—”

“Oh, sweetie.” Lucida sighed, “I knew you’d ask someday. But, it’s been so long… I’m not sure I remember him anymore. His name doesn’t even come to mind.”

“it was _gaster._ ”

“Listen, I know it’s been tough to grow up without a father around,” for a moment, her face wrinkled slightly with confusion, as if she wasn’t sure he _had_ , “but these things happen sometimes. We’ve been alright so far, haven’t we?”

Before Sans could reply, his mother hacked and coughed into her fist. She beckoned her son over, “Could you take Papyrus? I need to finish up with the chores before I head to work.”

Sans carefully held his baby brother in his arms as he watched his mother stand up. She seemed somewhat unstable on her feet, and there were dark patches underneath her eye sockets. “mom…”

“I’ve got a long day of work ahead of me. The sink’s all messed up, and there’s barely any food in the fridge. A couple of my bosses let me take over a few more shifts. How nice of them, right?” Lucida stretched her arms above her skull, then pecked her teeth atop her children’s skulls. “I’ll see you in the morning, Sans. Don’t wait up. Leftovers are in the fridge, okay?”

When she left, Sans scourged the house for any sign of his father’s existence, but there was absolutely nothing. In fact, the house even appeared a little run-down and unkept. It was slightly disturbing, since his parents were somewhat fond of a clean household. Gaster’s office was a room used for storage, his chair at the dinner table was missing, and his awards were gone. It really was as if he never existed.

He slumped against the couch, sitting on the hard floor. Papyrus was in front of him, chewing on some teething toy, oblivious to his older brother’s muddled thinking.

Gaster’s experiment had been _miscalculated._ He hadn’t predicted what would have happened the moment he opened that door. Perhaps he assumed he wouldn’t survive in the Void, but would have been able to view it up front. Instead, the Void sucked him in, along with the rest of the lab. It was like a vacuum, greedily grabbing anything to occupy the vacancy; the utterly empty zone outside their universe fruitlessly searching for fulfillment.

Gaster’s experimentation on him _worked._ He was perfectly fine in the Void in comparison to… everyone else. He really did feel connected to the Void, although he wasn’t sure in what way. Sans looked down and flexed his hand, feeling something coursing through his bones. There was a tingling in his left eye socket, which made him scratch it irritably. The only answer that came to mind was _magic._

Sans strained his phalanges, yet nothing sparked in his hands. His magic was still… adjusting, probably. He’d have to give it more time. His father would have said so.

Sans’ SOUL stuttered at the thought of his dad. Images flashed in his mind, like a lingering nightmare.

No one even knew where the CORE came from. He wasn’t exactly sure how he and Papyrus were still alive. And if the timeline simply erased him from everyone’s knowledge, then why did it seem like his mother had been simultaneously working _and_ maintaining the house and family for a long time? He couldn’t recall her ever signing up for a couple of job while his father was still around, let alone just one. And with that amount of stress on one person for such a supposedly long amount of time… they’d… she would...

He knew. He already knew. He and Papyrus didn’t have a lot of time with her left.

Tears threatened to pour from his eye sockets.

_it’s not fair. it’s not fair._

Papyrus seemed to sense his older brother’s distress and began wailing. Sans gathered up the babybones in his arms and shushed him gently. He stroked his skull, “i’m gonna take care of you, paps. okay?”

In the wee hours of the morning, it was the time where Sans would be blissfully asleep next to his baby brother. But as the door creaked open, Lucida was taken aback at the sight of her eldest still awake. Sans drowsily looked over to her while he held Papyrus close to his ribcage. He had only moved from his spot to feed Paps or to use the bathroom.

“Honey, why are you on the floor?” tired as she was, her concern for her son overwhelmed any fatigue. She kneeled next to him and scooped up her sleeping babybones from his weakening hold.

Sans didn’t respond as he outstretched his arms. Lucida picked him up with her other arm and carried them both to their bedroom. He clung to her before she could pull away, so she stayed in their bed until they were asleep. In her warm embrace, he soon found himself losing the battle against slumber. Even with his hazy mind, Sans could still understand her whispers of remorse.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Oh, Sans, Papy, I’m sorry…”

She coughed and hacked into her fist, her breathing ragged and her skull sweaty.

After a few more nights of waiting for his mother, and a few more mornings of instant relief, Sans woke up one day to find dust scattered around her bed.

When the funeral came, there were random people in his home, sprinkling his mother’s dust on her favorite things. He silently surveyed the gramophone steadily spinning the record, while he picked up a few murmurs of discussion around him. Papyrus was asleep in his grasp.

“Those poor children.”

“Who’ll take care of them?”

“Skeleton monsters are extremely rare. They may be the last ones to exist.”

“How can he smile at a time like this?”

“Such a shame.”

A shame, indeed. Everything had happened so fast. He lost both his parents in a span of just a few days.

“Kid?” Sans looked up at the gruff voice. The guard scratched his pointy ear. “We’ll need to bring you into the orphanage, now. Is there anything you want to take with you?”

Sans contemplated this for a moment, before nodding once. Too soon did they leave the house they once called home. The only thing he wanted to take were stacks of quantum physics textbooks that were stored away in what used to be his father’s office. The guard wanted to question it, but decided against it, and picked them up in his paws. Sans was sure his mother would be puzzled over them. Not because she didn’t understand them, but because she wouldn’t have known where they had come from.

With his baby brother in his hold, Sans dutifully followed after the guard to the orphanage.

The orphanage was usually filled with a handful of young children, rarely anyone over the age of five. They’d be adopted considerably quickly by a loving couple. As they wait, they’d spend their time with the wonderful caretakers and other lonely children. The building itself was moderately-sized, with several small rooms for beds, a kitchen with a lengthy table, and a huge playroom.

His first day in the orphanage wasn’t particularly interesting. All the other kids were either amazed by him or afraid. School never seemed to have changed once all the whispers and rumors faded. No one showed any interest in adopting him or his brother, too unsure of how to take care of skeleton children. It seemed as though his perpetual smile warded people off. That was fine; he didn’t need anyone, anyway. As days went by, he only felt an emptiness dragging his SOUL.

“SAN!”

Papyrus was there to fill the gap.

“SAN! SAN!”

“ _sans._ ”

“SSSSSAAAAAAAAA…” Paps drawled, “...N! SAN! NYEH!”

Sans chuckled, the grin lifting his face. Two centuries passed, meaning Paps was three now, and he was ten. Double digits were sure exciting, weren’t they?

It took awhile for him to get used to not being awoken late at night for an experiment. He could feel the ghost of the needle piercing his bone, which made him frequently check and itch himself. Before he knew it, the marks of his father’s experiments healed, and his bones were whole and white. He no longer needed to wear long sleeves, but did so anyway for comfort. The DETERMINATION flowing through him, however, stayed, and it didn’t seem like it was going to be disappearing anytime soon. It was truly part of his entity.

“SAN! SAN, WHAT IS THIS?”

“that’s a book.”

“A BOOK. NYEH!” Papyrus tapped the other object on the floor. “WHAT IS THIS?”

“that’s a pencil.”

“PEN-CIL.” The babybones held the item close to his face. “NYEEEEEEEH.”

“don’t eat it, paps. it’s not good for you.”

Papyrus then frowned, a tantrum just over the horizon. Sans sweated, “paps, don’t do this to me, bro.”

That plea did not stop the wail, unfortunately. Sans cringed at the screech that the other kids and caretakers were now glaring at him for. He sighed and handed the pencil back to his baby brother. Papyrus stopped and began to gnaw as hard as his baby teeth would allow him to.

Well, there went his pencil. Sans said dramatically, “i knew that would hap- _pen._ _cil,_ i tried not to give in.”

He winked at his babybones of a brother, who only stared back with the ruined pencil in his mouth. Papyrus narrowed his eyes, “WHAT?”

“hap- _pen. cil,_ like _still_. it’s wordplay.”

The pencil dropped from his teeth. “WHAT IS ‘WORDPLAY’?”

“stuff that makes talking fun. like puns.”

“WHAT IS ‘PUNS’?”

“ _are_ puns, paps.” Sans corrected.

“WHAT ARE ‘PUNS’?”

“well, i’m glad you asked.” Sans winked again, his permanent grin growing, “puns are just _pun_ way to use words to make _punny_ jokes. you insert a word instead of _pun-_ other word and there it is. there are also knock-knock jokes and more, but you might _knock_ be old enough to enjoy it.”

“...I DON’T GET IT.” Papyrus said, irritation visible on his face, “BUT I DON’T LIKE IT.”

“aw, c’mon. throw me a _bone_ , here.”

“WAS THAT A PUN?”

“you’ll never know.”

“NYEEEH!”

“i guess you’re just too cool for puns, paps.” Sans commented as he patted his baby brother’s skull. Papyrus seemed happier, “WHAT?”

“you’re cool, so, uh, it’s like being… great. You’re _freeze_ to do whatever you want, you’re n- _ice_ , and people like you.” Sans clarified as simply as he could. Papyrus smiled wider, “GREAT! GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“yep.” Sans nodded, “just don’t _great_ on people’s nerves.”

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?”

“uh,” Sans felt his grin strain a little. At first it was fun, but having to explain every joke to Papyrus was sort of killing his vibe. “don’t worry about it, bro.” 

It was a while until the next interesting thing occurred, and it happened right at the orphanage. There was this new girl, probably a little older than Paps, yet not old enough to go to school yet. She had fish-like features and scarlet hair tied into cute pigtails. Although, the most striking feature was the white medical eyepatch on her left eye. Her injury and lack of parents were enough for someone to presume what tragedy may have happened. Although, her boisterous attitude was a surprise to the caretakers and the other children. She was a little rough when she played, though, which chased the kids away. However, Papyrus seemed to have taken a liking to her, thinking that she was “super cool.” Sans didn’t mind much, it gave him time to himself while his brother had a playmate. 

“Hey! HEY, YOU!”

“huh?” Sans woke up from his nap. He soon realized he was being towered over by the fish-girl and his baby brother. She thrusted her finger in front of his face. “You’re the oldest kid here, RIGHT?!”

“well, this sure is… _fishy_ ,” Sans looked over at Papyrus, who stared back. Sans asked, “what’s happening?”

“SHE WANTED TO KNOW YOUR AGE, BUT I DON’T KNOW YOUR AGE, SO NOW WE’RE HERE.”

“uh…” the older skeleton turned back to the fish-girl and waved his hand dismissively, “yeah, sure.”

“GREAT! I want you to fight me!”

Sans blinked. “huh?”

“FIGHT?” Papyrus looked horrified. “YOU WANT TO DUST MY BROTHER?”

“What?! NO!”

“DON’T DUST MY BROTHER! DON’T!” Papyrus began to cry. “I WON’T LIKE YOU IF YOU DO!”

“I’m NOT gonna dust him, you crybaby!”

“i _dust_ ask, why do you wanna fight me?” Sans questioned as he sat up and hugged his quivering brother. Undyne appeared slightly guilty at setting off Papyrus, but she brushed it off and crossed her tiny arms. “ _Everyone_ knows that the oldest people are the strongest. The caretakers won’t fight me, so I wanted to go for the oldest kid.”

“...what?”

“I WON’T LET YOU!” Papyrus let go of him to stand in front of him protectively. “I’LL FIGHT YOU!”

She gasped. “You sure about that?!”

“YEAH!”

The two smaller kids were about his height when Sans was sitting down. If he stood up, he could put up a more dominating presence and stop them. But...

“have fun.” Sans leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms behind his skull. “don’t lose a limb.”

Both of the children paused to stare at him. She frowned, “What’s a limb?”

“I DON’T KNOW.”

“ _you’ll learn once you start school._ ” Sans said with an ominous tone of finality, one that had the two kids scurrying farther away to have their battle. She nudged and whispered to her skeleton friend, “Has your brother ever dusted someone?”

“I DON’T THINK SO. HE’S TOO LAZY… AND GOOD.” Papyrus and her exchanged stares, before he bopped her on the head. She rubbed her scalp, “Ow! What??”

“ARE WE FIGHTING?” Papyrus asked. She glared, “Yeah, but you got in an unfair shot!”

She bonked him on his skull, which rendered him motionless. “Hah!”

Then, he started to cry. She froze, absolute terror dawning on her face as she could feel his older brother’s dark sockets swallowing her whole. Her hands flailed, “Don’t cry!”

“THAT HURT.”

“Well, you hurt ME first!”

“SORRY.”

She frowned again, deeper this time, before sighing. “Let’s call this a draw, okay? No one lost or won.”

He nodded, then they proceeded to a new game, one that didn’t involve hitting each other. Later, Sans laid down next to his exhausted brother and asked him, “so, what’s the name of your friend again?”

Papyrus’ eyes went from half-lidded to bulging. He sat up, “I DON’T KNOW!”

He turned to his older brother, panic written all over his face. “DOES THIS MEAN SHE IS A STRANGER? YOU TOLD ME NOT TO SPEAK WITH STRANGERS!”

“she’s, uh, a friendly stranger. just ask her tomorrow.” Sans held his hand over his brother’s wide eyes and pushed him back down. “go to sleep.”

“NYEH…”

Sooner than he expected, Papyrus was turning four, which meant he was ready to start attending school very soon. As per request, Sans avoided spoiling the big day with his _commonly pun-derrated_ puns. The younger skeleton’s birthday consisted of him digging into handfuls of cake and playing party games with Undyne and one or two other children. Sans grinned at his joy, before calling him over. Papyrus skipped over to him with impatience, “WHAT IS IT? I HAVE TO GO TO THE PIT OF DOOM AND SAVE SALLY THE SNAKE FROM THE EVIL HUMAN!”

“this’ll take just a sec, paps. close your eyes.” Sans _snaked_ (heh) his hands around his little brother’s cervical vertebrae. Papyrus felt something warm and soft wrap around his neck. “there. happy birthday, paps.”

When the younger skeleton opened his eyes, he was astonished to find the bright orange scarf coiled around his neck. It drooped slightly since it was quite lengthy, but he was sure to grow into it. “WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?”

“eh…” Sans grinned sheepishly, a tinge of blue lighting his cheeks. “made it myself.”

Papyrus gasped, “HOW??”

“just asked a couple of the caretakers to teach me.” Sans said as he stuffed his hands in his shorts, feeling the bandages on his phalanges rub against the fabric. The younger skeleton played around with the scarf, a gigantic smile on his face, rivaling his brother’s. Suddenly, Papyrus released it and peered up at him, “WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY?”

Sans blinked, before rubbing the back of his skull. “uh, it already passed, paps.”

“SO YOU’RE ELEVEN??”

“mhm.”

“MMMNYEEEEH!” Papyrus’ teeth curved downward, “WILL YOU NEVER HAVE ONE AGAIN?”

“birthdays are a, uh, centennial thing. they happen around every one-hundred years.”

“BUT THAT’S SO LOOOOOOOONG!”

“heh. yeah.” Sans racked his head for a way to rectify the situation. “whassamatter?”

“I CAN’T GIVE YOU A GIFT!”

“oh.” The older skeleton’s grin softened. “don’t worry about that, paps.” 

“NO!” 

“...okay, well, if you want, give me anything now. i’ll take it.”

Papyrus thought about this, then held his hands out, “STAY RIGHT THERE!”

He sprinted away, his scarf flying behind him, giving him an almost heroic look. His friends tried to call out to him to bring him back into the game, but Papyrus was very determined to give a present to his brother.

When he returned, Sans’ eyelights roamed over the items in his little brother’s arms.

“ketchup packets?”

“YEAH! I KNOW YOU LIKE TO DRINK THEM!” carrying all of them proved difficult, for Papyrus often bent down to pick one up that had fallen. “THE CARETAKERS WERE NICE ABOUT LETTING ME TAKE THEM!”

“...heh.” Sans could barely remember the last time he received a present on his birthday. He wrapped his arms around his little brother and refused to tear up. “you’re super cool, you know that?”

“YES, YOU TELL ME ALL THE TIME!” Papyrus pulled away and gave the ketchup packets to Sans, before placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his ribcage. “NOW, THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST SAVE SALLY!”

“It’s already been done!” Undyne yelled from across the playroom. “You took too long!”

“WHAT?!” Papyrus exclaimed as he made his way back to his friends. They began to arrange another type of scenario to act in. Sans sat back against the wall and watched them while tearing open one of the ketchup packets. He raised it in the air, “happy late birthday to me.”

In just a couple years, Sans was hanging around Papyrus as he waited for his class to be lined up. His own class began a little later than the younger kids, so he had time to drop off Papyrus at his first day of school. The younger skeleton looked quite nervous, “BROTHER, WHAT IF THEY DON’T LIKE ME?”

“they will.”

“YEAH, and if they don’t, then I’ll MAKE them!” Undyne promised with a hand to her fist. It was also her first day, and she appeared less anxious and more excited. Sans nodded, “see? you have our support.”

“OKAY… OKAY!” Papyrus nodded eagerly, “I’LL MAKE LOTS OF FRIENDS!”

“good, but watch out for him.” Sans eerily warned, and pointed at the man dressed finely on the stage. It was only the principal of the school. He was a large, hairy monster that greeted and conversed with the parents. Papyrus and Undyne both looked puzzled, the former asking, “WHY?”

“you might not be able to handle him.” Sans struggled not to giggle. “i heard he can be a real fun but crazy princi- _pal_.”

Once the two children registered his pun, they were met face-to-face with his infamous grin. Papyrus shrieked, “BROTHER!”

“Sans, shut UP!”

Small gasps came from around the trio. One little monster pointed at Undyne, “Ooooh, she said a bad wooord!”

Undyne flushed. “Did NOT!”

“Did to!”

“NGAAAAH!”

“welp, i gotta head out now. don’t wanna miss the first day of school, either.” Sans pointed to the door as he prepared to step out.

“YOU’RE NOT IN MY SCHOOL?”

“no, paps. i go to middle school. starting today, actually.”

“WHOAAA!” Papyrus bounced where he was. “YOU’RE SO OLD!”

It was a little ironic, considering he was part of the younger side of his batchmates. Sans stared at his little brother, before patting him on the head. “have a good day, okay?”

“OKAY!”

“Bye, Sans!”

“BYE, BROTHER!”

“see ya.” Sans waved at the two kids before exiting the elementary school. He began walking down the populated streets of New Home, toward his school, where he spotted a few other students the same age as him. Out of nowhere, something nibbled the back of his skull, like a forewarning. His sixth sense seemed to be becoming more and more noticeable. He checked around for anything out of place, but there was nothing alarming.

He continued normally, and the day passed by him quickly. At dismissal, he was packing away his school materials as his classmates scurried out the room.

“Excuse me.”

Sans peeked from his bag to face the teacher who had called him. She gave him a friendly smile. He smiled back. He was always smiling back.

“I noticed that you’re a little… more reserved than the other kids. But I looked at your assessment sheet.” She looked at him in a way that made his SOUL ache. A familiar longing squeezed his ribs. “You’re quite a bright young man. Has anyone ever told you?”

“...mm’yeah, i think.” Sans zipped up his backpack and swung it around his shoulder. “thanks.”

“Oh, well, you’re welcome!” the awkwardness swelled in the classroom, but she strained to keep it amicable. “Have a good day, Sans.”

“you too.”

He strolled out of there and into the open air, where he could feel his face slightly burn. Those sort of compliments only reminded him of where he had come from, and what had lost. Yet, as that sadness arose, he still felt pride in his ability, in what he had learned from his father’s work and resources. Sans forced himself to relax as he headed toward Papyrus’ school.

“SANS! SANS, GUESS WHAT!”

“what?”

“I MADE A FRIEND!”

“you did?” Sans asked, inspecting any kids behind his brother that looked like they may have befriended him. Yet, it was… the opposite. They seemed to blatantly avoid going near him. Sans thought his SOUL dropped.

“SANS! ARE YOU LISTENING?”

“huh? oh, uh, sorry, bro. who’s your friend?”

“I MET HIM DURING RECESS!” Papyrus threw his arms open. “HE WAS A TALKING FLOWER!”

“a talking flower?” Sans questioned. “you sure it wasn’t an echo flower?”

“NO, HE LOOKED LIKE A BUTTERCUP!”

“huh, well, that’s interesting.” Sans patted his brother’s skull again. “glad you made a friend.”

“Alright, I’m here! Let’s get going!” Undyne said as she rushed out of the doors and weaved past the parents and their children. Sans walked in-between them while the three began their journey to the orphanage. The two recollected how their day went, talking about the different “toys” they saw and their yucky lunches and the introductory games where Undyne declared a challenge to all the kids and was forced into the “bad kids chair.” Papyrus told him how he tried to make more than one friend, yet no one wanted to shake his hand or color with him. Undyne had aggressively interrogated a number of kids as to why they wouldn’t hang out with the skeleton, only to be put in the chair again.

Sans wondered if Undyne was the reason Papyrus wasn’t making any friends, or if it was because the kids had never seen a skeleton monster before. Either way, he felt bad for his little brother, because neither of those could be fixed.

“HOW WAS YOUR DAY?”

“normal.”

“Nothing happened?” Undyne asked him. Sans shook his head, which made her puff her cheeks and tug on his shorts. “You’re so BORING!”

“sorry i can’t _bo-ring_ the fun.”

“Your humor SUCKS!!”

“you want jokes? i’ve got _hu_ -more.”

Sans glanced over at Papyrus, who was trying to hide his face. He chuckled, “see? paps is enjoying it.”

“ONLY A LITTLE!” the younger skeleton donned an orange blush. “BUT IT’S STILL BAD!”

“Stop it, Sans!”

“gonna have to catch me first.”

Sans began walking at a faster pace, zooming in front of them. The two kids froze for a moment, before running after him. He was surprisingly agile.

“Why the HECK are you so fast?!”

“I’LL GET YOU, BROTHER!”

Sans only laughed as his legs carried him forward.

The days that followed seemed fresher, brighter.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this. He couldn’t remember the first time. The world just seemed to be so small, and he felt like he was just a kid in the middle of it all.

“BROTHER?”

He just wanted to be a kid in the middle of it all.

“BROTHER… I’M SCARED.”

He just wanted to be a kid.

“BROTHER, PLEASE, HELP ME.”

...Since when was he ever _just_ a kid? His burden was woven into his being the moment he was born.

“listen, flower.”

Sans felt something spike along his rigid bones.

“let go of him.”

His phalanges twitched and flexed.

“ ** _now._** ”

“Well, what happened to the funny puns? I thought you were doing well.” The flower’s roots bulged and coiled around himself slowly, like a snake preparing to pounce. “Don’t be like that, friend. I just wanted to try something out.”

Papyrus was terrified out of his mind, and Undyne could do nothing but stand back. Even then, he refused to cry, because he wanted to be fearless, like the warrior Undyne always described. But when he looked at the fish-girl, he was horrified at the dust covering her body and oozing out of her gashes. 

“Why am I so powerless…?” Undyne grabbed a fistful of the dirt and heaved herself onto her feet. With everything she had, she threw it at the flower. It missed completely. She gathered up another handful of dirt and hurled it at the flower. It missed again.

“You’re absolutely pathetic.”

Sans felt his grin strain as the feeling in his bones tightened. Undyne screamed next to him, “SHUT UP! I’LL—I’LL—!”

“You’ll _what?_ Cry? Please cry, it would be hilarious.” He fastened his hold on the younger skeleton. Papyrus cried out in alarm, orange beads springing up to his eye sockets.

Before he could stop to think, Sans’ left arm shot out, and a sharp bone followed after it. The face of the flower was suddenly replaced by a large, gaping hole. Papyrus was dropped to the ground, and he swiftly picked himself up to run to his brother. Undyne was incredulous, eye popping out and mouth hanging wide. She choked out, “Did you… did you kill him?”

Sans felt his arm lower as the rest of the flower’s body began to fade into dust. His little brother was sprinting, almost in front of—

He was standing in front of the school, two hours after it had already ended. It was devoid of any other monsters. Undyne was yanking on his arm. “Sans, come on! Didn’t I say that Papyrus needed help!? They’re over at the yard near the playground!”

This exact scenario happened… a while ago. Sans was going through the school, looking for his little brother who never came out the doors. The teachers couldn’t tell him where he could be and offered to help, but he only dismissed them out of irritation. Undyne was just excused from the principal's office for being too rough with the kids. She told him she saw Papyrus and the flower _playing_ through the window, until she noticed that the flower was actually preventing him from leaving.

“BROTHER?”

“...paps.” Sans pulled his little brother into a hug, before pushing him back to inspect him for injuries. Aside from a few scratches, he seemed fine. “what happened?”

“FLOWEY JUST REALLY WANTED ME TO STAY, BUT I KEPT TELLING HIM I HAD TO LEAVE.” Papyrus looked as if he was about to cry. “HE WOULDN’T LISTEN TO ME, AND—AND I KNEW YOU WOULD BE WORRIED AND MAD.”

“That CREEP!” Undyne yelled.

Sans was quiet, until he hugged his brother again. “don’t play or talk with him anymore. he’s not your friend.”

“O-OKAY.” Papyrus hugged him back as hard as he could. “IT WAS SCARY, BUT I TRIED TO BE BRAVE.”

Sans felt his eye sockets sting, before he chuckled. “you were very brave.”

“Yeah, Paps, you were great!” Undyne pointed at him threateningly. “But you still need training! If I were you, I would’ve beaten him up!”

Sans reeled back and took his hand. “let’s get going.”

As the Underground grew peaceful and its residents went to bed, Sans found that he couldn’t sleep. He snuck out from his bed and out of the orphanage. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going or what he was going to do, but he felt like he needed space to think.

He had… _killed_ someone. Despite the fact that it was an evil flower who trapped his little brother and hurt his younger friend, he had actually dusted someone. But then it was like everything had been erased. Undyne and Papyrus didn’t remember anything, but he had, and vividly. He felt his magic surge through his being and summon the bone, which went straight through the flower. The sound of the puncture echoed in his skull, and the burning in his left eye socket reminded him that it was real.

His SOUL lurched at the thought of being a murderer, but he remembered his father’s reason for his experimentation.

_Is…Is the flower the anomaly?_

Was he supposed to stop the flower from killing everyone? How is it that the flower could restart the timeline?

He wasn’t sure about anything, really. His father didn’t leave instructions anywhere, not even a vague description.

Sans closed his eyes and leaned against a nearby tree, exhausted. Mercifully, sleep swept him away in a dreamland where his father told him theories, his mother gave him hugs, and his brother had a normal childhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the original draft was about 18,000 words, and very much still in-progress; i thought it'd be a waste to just leave it there, so here is like... half of the draft, and maybe the story will be completed one day.


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